Rika
About Rika is a current member of the Legion of Dööm. One of the founding six, she met the other member of Doom at the adventuring college in Eldric's Crossing, most notably Shilana, a fellow warrior, and Beaks the archer. Rika is a confirmed "dragonborn", which means that she shares some traits with dragons. In Rika's case, she can use several shout techniques, such as: fire breathing, defense, and push-back. Rika's preferred weapon is a large war hammer, and she is rarely seen without it. Rika is also often seen with a gold pseudo-dragon named Alduin, who was a gift from the Wurm Queen Veeshan for Rika. In accepting Alduin, Rika agreed to accept the will and ways of Veeshan despite Rika having experienced a slight religious wavering. Rika is solidly build, with long brown hair always worn in a braid. Proud of her strength, she often rushes into battle without thinking of strategies. This isn't to say that she isn't capable of strategy, but she prefers to feel the blood of her enemies in battle before her other companions can. Rika is easily the most rash member of the Legion, highly dictated by her own feelings. Often her lust for gold causes significant strife for the other members of the team. Rika prizes gold and money above almost any other physical thing, as she regards the acquisition of money equal to personal freedom. To Rika, gold = freedom, and to be broke is to be destitute. Despite her faults, Rika has recently grown more compassionate overall, even condescending to apologize to Lady Arya for past mistakes. Rika is an avid worshiper of Veeshan, the Wurm Queen. Admiring the spirit of strength and ambition of dragons Rika likes to think that she embodies these characteristics. A thought apparently shared by Veeshan herself, who has given Rika an early set of task that would have required Rika to sacrifice the lives of High Lady Renly, Gnilon, and Arya. If these targets were killed Rika would gain a significant amount of skills or power in which to help her on her goal of becoming a High Lord (or the ultimate and seemingly impossible goal of becoming Queen of Sevoh). Religious though she is, Rika did not complete this task for the Wurm Queen, and feared retribution from her god. Most surprisingly, however, the Wurm Queen praised Rika for seeing these targets as allies and stepping stools for a bigger-picture accomplishment. It was through this praise that she acknowledged Rika the title of the "Ruby Dragon," a title bestowed upon Rika by the Dragon Council of Bahamut's Scar. Veeshan herself asked Rika to become her champion, a title and honor in which Rika gladly accepts. Rika considers her entire purpose in life is to "save the orphans" of the Sevoh Empire. An orphan herself, she has seen first hand the way the Empire treats orphans, and she has sworn an oath to herself that she will decidedly give the orphans (as a whole) a better life. Rika sees that the only way to accomplish this goal is to gain power, as the King and High Lords of cities are the only people who can write and change laws to benefit the general public. As such, her main attainable goal in life is to attain as high a station as possible, in order to save as many children as possible from a life on the streets or as soldiers on the front lines of a conflict. Rika, as a Lady of Dööm, has already made great strides to protect the orphans. Rika is partnered with the Izar of Ak'Anon to give a permanent home for orphans of select cities through monetary donations from Lady Rika. Through this method she has, as of now, given all the children of Seacrest a permanent home. Through this donation process she is able to help all of the orphan children in a select city for a year. She has also sent a great amount of money to the officials in the Fist as a sort of bribe to keep the children out of immediate combat. This donation was matched by now High Lord Israel Bearstorm, and a mutual friendship and respect has been struck between the two. The High Lord even presented Rika with the legendary war hammer of Dain Frostreaver the First, as a reward for a separate venture. The High Lord has casually flirted with Rika, and she has returned the flirtations, but this is only as far as a "romance" idea has gone. Israel Bearstorm has called Rika his "muse" in passing, and it is obvious to Rika that he has at least some pleasant regard for her. Rika has grown rather fond of children and is willing to put the needs of a child before the needs of anything else, even her own health and ambitions. This is especially true if the child is in some sort of physical harm. Rika will stop at nothing to stop a child from suffering. Background Summary Detailed back story to come soon! Born as Wren Thisling of Seneca, a small farming village in the east, Rika lost her parents at the age of two. Her parent's wagon was attacked by bandits on the way to market in Mantua. Rika was told years later that her father defended them the best he could, but not being a warrior, he was quickly silenced. The bandits shot Rika's mother as she fled with Rika from the wagon. Luckily, Rika was kept alive. The bandits left her on the road, ransacked the wagon and her parents and left. Rika/ Wren was then raised by her childless uncle and aunt on their farm in Solange, a small village near Seneca. Rika did most of the physical work around the crops, which gave her a strong physique. Despite this, she lacked confidence; further perpetuated by her Uncle Tawn constantly beating her with little or no provocation. Aunt Avis would often silently watch and not try to prevent the beatings; however unjustifiable they may have been. When Rika/ Wren was eight, Aunt Avis developed an illness that left her bedridden. Nothing the mages or doctors did could cure her. Aunt Avis died when Rika was ten years old. The aunt admitted on her deathbed that she was in love with Rika's father, Finch, but grew envious when Finch instead married Avis' sister Paloma. She willingly allowed the mistreatment of Rika as a sort of punishment to Finch and Paloma. Aunt Avis asked Rika for forgiveness, but died before the ten year old was able to grant it. When the aunt fell sick, Rika took over the household duties as well as the farm duties. This only increased when Aunt Avid died. Unfortunately, with his wife bedridden (and soon dead) Uncle Tawn would enter young Rika's room at night and repeatedly sexually rape and abuse her. This happened a couple times a week during the two years Aunt Avis was sick, and continued after her death. However, one night half a year in her eleventh year, Rika unexpectedly fought him off and ran away from home. She decided to try to beg in the nearby large city of Mantua. Unsuccessful at begging, Rika/Wren met a young boy about thirteen, calling himself Oliver, who offered her food and shelter. Oliver ran a small thieves guild in Mantua called the Brotherhood of the Black Snake. After much training and soul searching, Rika decided to join the Brotherhood. The other member besides her and Oliver was a fourteen year old blond boy named Heathcliff "Cliff" Marley. The trio of thieves each had a specialty: Marley was an expert scout and a master of disguise; Oliver, besides being the unequivocal leader, was a natural born pickpocket and could sneak so well he could practically melt into the shadows. After much trial and error, Rika's role was to provide a distraction, diverting attention from Oliver as he picked the pockets of a particularly difficult target. While Oliver condoned lying to fellow Brothers, he told Rika that if she was going to distract the general public, she needed to be convincing. She was surprised to learn that she was naturally good at bluffing. Rika always wondered if the years spent at the hand of her uncle caused her to lie out of survival. The Brotherhood now had a sister, and the trio of companions grew to be quite close. While in Mantua, Rika/ Wren befriended a couple of half elven children named Sonika (five years old) and her brother, Kishor (seven). They were sister and brother, and were living in an alley in Mantua's Gray District. The Gray District is where the majority of Mantua's slums are located. The brother and sister were orphans: their mother had died a few months prior to Rika meeting them, and their father had left the family shortly after the girl was born. Rika felt immediate camaraderie with the siblings, and offered to try to find their father. The children gave her their most precious item: a smooth black stone with the Erollisi Marr symbol etched in the back in gold. On the other side was a polished black surface. When a person held the stone the polished surface would swirl with cloud-like mist for a moment before a figure would appear. This figure would vary depending on who held the stone, for the figure would be a miniature of the holder's most beloved person. The children were able to see their deceased mother waving and smiling at them, but when eleven year old Rika held the stone it remained black. The children said that the stone belonged to their father, who left it with their mother before he departed. Rika promised to return the stone to the children in a week, and went back to Black Snake headquarters. Oliver quickly learned of Rika's desire to find the father. Quite moved by her compassion, he immediately vowed to help her. Using a vast network of connections Rika still does not quite understand, Oliver was able to get a strong lead about the father. However, before they could locate him or send a missive, there was news of a large yeth hound pack heading toward Mantua. High Lord Blaise Vane sent out a battalion of troops to guard the city. His placement of the guards was fatal, as he placed the majority of them in the area of the High Lord's fort, the business district, and the Golden District (where Mantua's rich and/ or influential lords and nobles lived). The yeth hounds arrived in Mantua, four hundred strong, and were slaughtered. However, many poor people in the Gray District, as well as those farmers on the outskirts of Mantua, paid the ultimate price for the High Lord's negligence. Sonika and Kishor were among the many in the slums that died, not having the strength to fight the small pack that devoured them. Rika herself discovered the bodies the next morning, and from that day forth vowed to protect all orphans from ever being ignored or sent to death by those in power designed to "protect" them. For his arrogance, High Lord Vane was removed from the lordship, and his steward was made to rule until Vane's eight year old daughter Taora reached the age of consent (fifteen) and was to rule in her father's stead. Despite this fall from glory, former High Lord Blaise Vane still wields quite a lot of influence in Mantua due to his having a seat on the Lords Counsel. As with all tragedies, life moves on. From this tragedy Rika developed a thirst for power, to protect the orphans, and threw herself into her strength training. As the Brotherhood gained more infamy, Rika/ Wren gained more confidence. She and the reckless and often uncivilized Cliff were often at odds, which resulted in Rika taking a few more punishments for breaking Oliver's number one rule for the Brotherhood of the Black Snake: no violence. Despite this, Rika grew confident in herself and her strength. As the years passed the Brotherhood acquired more members, mostly young people with a thirst to prove themselves. One day, Oliver decided that the three founders that have proven their loyalty to the Brotherhood should be honored. It was decided that Oliver, Rika, and Cliff should get the symbol of the Brotherhood (a black snake eternally chasing its tail) tattooed on their back. Always wanting to impress, Rika volunteered without hesitation. Therefore, the tradition of the truest and most loyal members of the Brotherhood being "marked" was born. One day, during a job with Oliver himself, fourteen year old Rika is recognized as a member of the guild, and is sentenced to punishment. She would lose a hand. However, using a clever combination of bluff and innocence, she is able to convince the man that she is a noble from Loxley, and he releases her. Oliver is so overcome with feelings of relief at Rika's safety that he gives her a kiss. Rika shyly returns his affections and the two begin dating. After several months of dating, Oliver admits that he loves Rika, and that he always has. Rika is honest with herself and Oliver and admits that, she too, is in love. Rika has never loved anyone before Oliver, and has not loved anyone since. Oliver then presented her with a silver and opal ring and asked for her hand in marriage. Rika enthusiastically accepted, and the two agree to get married when she becomes of age. The engagement was short lived. Oliver, Rika, Cliff, and a new wizard named William were set to rob a noble's carriage on the road that leads from Mantua to Loxley. The act was rehearsed many times, and Rika was able to stop the carriage with her distraction. Cliff kept watch over the road and William remained hidden in case the escape required illusion magic. The beefy carriage master came down to inspect the problem, and a stately woman emerged from the carriage to investigate the scene. Rika saw Oliver enter the carriage silently like a shadow. However, the man recognized Rika from a previous heist, and immediately forced her to the ground calling her a thief. He brought out a dagger and meant to slit her throat if Oliver had not emerged, grasping a small blond boy, no older than four, and holing a dagger up to his throat. The woman grew hysterical and promptly feinted. The boy cried out for his mother, but her unconscious form simply laid there. The man hastened to obey Oliver's command to let Rika go, and stood up and dropped his dagger. She stood up and gave the man an angry snarl. Oliver commanded the man to get on his knees, but as he did so the man made a fatal observance. He observed that Oliver was one of the "Sikes boys" and that he has had the pleasure of working for Oliver's father. He even managed to remember Oliver's first name, and remarked how the Sikes were a respectable lord family in Mantua and that Oliver must be a good man, for his brothers certainly were. Rika saw that Oliver's face grew pale and asked him to release the boy. She petitioned to him that they can knock out the captors. Oliver looked towards the grass where he knew William was watching, interested; and to the trees in which Cliff was perched, blood thirsty. He looked at Rika's pleading eyes and softly commanded her to kill them all, starting with the man. Rika protested and Oliver reminded her that she swore loyalty. The man was obviously afraid and begged Oliver to let the woman and child go, and that they could kill him instead. Oliver shouted at Rika to kill the man. Whispering a short, "I'm sorry" Rika efficiently took his dropped dagger and slit the man's throat. Covered in the man's blood and taking deep breaths to steady herself, she refused to kill the boy or his mother. The man's sacrifice should be enough, and he was the only one who recognized Oliver, she argued. Completely beside himself with silent rage, he commanded her to kill them, or suffer the consequences. When she refused a third time Oliver backhanded her face, causing her to stumble. He nodded to William and William promptly put Rika to sleep with a sleeping spell. However, before she lost consciousness, she saw her fiancéé release the boy who ran to his feebly stirring mother. Oliver tossed William his dagger and stepped back from the scene while William stepped forward. Then blackness. Rika was punished severely for her disloyalty. Though physical punishment was taboo for the Brotherhood, it seems that Oliver was too willing to break his own rule. He has his fiancee whipped several times to the point of unconsciousness, and Rika still bears the scars today. Near the end of her recovery, she left the Black Snake headquarters, grabbing all of her belongings but putting her opal engagement ring on her bedside table. Rika headed towards Loxley to start her new life. She begged on the side of the road, but no generosity was found for this rough looking girl. An exception was made in the form of a tiefling caravan. They generously gave her food and company for the night. It was with them that Rika learned about tiefling names. Tieflings are named after nouns or something that defines them. Wishing to forever leave Wren Thisling behind, Rika asked what the tiefling word for "she with great power" was, and the name "Rika" was chosen from that day forward. Rika made it to Loxley, but fared no better in that large metropolis. As she prepared to try a new area of the city, a muscular Orc blacksmith asked her what she was doing. She told him and he offered a bed at his home for the night. Leary of the man, she wanted to refuse, but exhaustion gave in and she accepted. The man let Rika sleep in his bed at an inn, while he took the floor. The man explained that he wasn't going to give charity, and if she wanted to repay him he could use an apprentice at his smith in a nearby small town of Marion. Rika accepted and the next day the two set out for Marion. Through the years that followed, the man, whose name was Tucker, taught her basic smith techniques, including the use of a hammer and anvil. She grew very comfortable with a hammer, and asked the man to teach her to make a basic war hammer. He then taught her some basic hammer techniques, and Rika grew stronger. Tucker was also an avid Veeshan worshiper, making at least one trip to the large Veeshan church in Bryling every fortnight. When he discovered that Rika was a dragonborn, he was the one who insisted to the Veeshan priests that they teach her how to master her shouts. It was through this teaching that Rika grew to love the Wurm Queen's lessons of power and strength. She looked forward to her bi-weekly pilgrimage to the church and felt that with each lesson Veeshan taught her she grew stronger. One night in Marion the town was settling down when a large howl erupted across the town. Rika bolted out of bed and grabbed her iron war hammer. Tucker was right behind her as they headed out to the town square. A large werewolf was bearing down on an elderly woman, and about to attack. Rika, feeling the bravery of Veeshan, rushed up to the beast and swung her hammer at the beast's head. It made contact and Rika and the werewolf fought. The werewolf was no match for the combination of Rika's brute strength and her skill with her shouts. Soon a burnt and bludgeoned werewolf laid at the town square. The old woman, it turned out, was a representative of the Adventuring College in Eldric's Crossing, sent to Marion to investigate the rumor of a dragonborn. She asked Rika to become a member of the College, and after a few days of deliberation decided to attend. She said goodbye to Tucker, and promised to repay him for his kindness, one day. He told her that he didn't want to see her again until she accomplished her goal of becoming a High Lord. She packed up her meager belongings and war hammer and set off for Eldric's Crossing with the woman. At college she learned how to become numb to violence, made many useful connections, and met her future friends and fellow lords of Dööm. Companions of Dööm Beaks: Rika regards all of her fellow members of Dööm with respect, but Beaks is the member of Dööm that Rika feels like she knows least. Stubborn and irrational, Beaks is not afraid to call Rika out if she makes a mistake, which angers her. However, Rika knows that Beaks is possibly the most overall loyal member of Dööm as a whole, and would be hard pressed to play traitor or truly hate another member. Gnilon: Interestingly enough, this scary imp is the person in the house with the most similarities to Rika. Both very religious, and not afraid to get their hands dirty, Gnilon is also very loyal. Although he is constantly using Rika as the brunt of many jokes, recently he and Rika have developed an odd bond based around interrogation techniques. Gnilon always has Rika's back, though, and has even been known to stand up to Jayce to defend her. Occasionally. Jarrett: Hilarious and the mascot of the Legion, Rika is often frustrated by this Dirt Lord. Despite his indecision towards important matters, Jarrett only speaks when he has something truly important to say. On the rare occasions when he does speak, Rika listens; because what he has to say is often very out-of-the-box and he is able to see all aspects of a problem. Jayce: Rika and Jayce are often polar opposites, pun intended. This ice mage is cool and calculated with his decisions, which often drives her insane, as they can spend hours discussing the most mundane thing. However, he has many leadership qualities that Rika is afraid to admit out loud. Rika feels that Jayce would make an excellent High Lord, or even king, and he is the Dirt Lord most likely to succeed if he chose this path. He and Rika are both up for candidates for High Lord of Rutch, and Rika respects the challenge ahead of her as she tries to accomplish her goals. A friendly rivalry seems to have been born. Shilana: Quite possibly Rika's best friend, Shilana is a person Rika is very jealous of. Always striving to "do the right thing," Shilana is a beacon of forgiveness and light to all members of the house, as well as greater Rutch and beyond. She is still a person, though, and often lets her emotions dictate her feelings, despite her strive to be the light in a dismal world. Rika and Shilana have had many adventures together and Rika sees a wonderful future ahead of this beautiful Erollisi Marr worshiper. Rika feels that Erollisi Marr herself would blush of the sheer wonderfulness that is Shilana.